Vinyl-acrylic floor covering and process



[1. K. SLOSBERG Ixiarch 21, 1957 VIZHL-ACHYLIC FLOOR COVERING AND PROCESS Filed June 6, 1963 INVENTOR.

DAVID K. SLOSBERG E m 3 8 iv .E M N A w T A W? x 0/ Y B W ///.v o

3,310,619 VINYL-ACRYLIC FLOOR COVERING.

AND PROCESS Dmirl K. Slosberg, Yardley, Pm, assignor to American Biltritc Rubber 03., Inc, Chelsea, Mass, :1 corporation of Delnwzrc Filed June 5, 1953, 52:. No. 255,934

Claims. (Cl. 264--77) This invention cort ises a new and improved floor or wall covering pres-2 g :1 random pattern of vivid co or contrasts :md to or smooth surface texture ns desired and inctucles \s'itnirt its scope a novel process of making the same. v

The invention is sed upon my discovery that chips or gr tles of modified methyl methacrylnte (which may he of various brilliant colors) are compatible with 2 PVC or PVC copolymer to the extent that they may be distributed and permanently bonded or ccpsulutcd without excessive thermoplastic flow within a translucent vi. yl matrix in accordance with manufucturing proccsf cs that are commercially practical.

Thcs methyl mcthnervlote granules may he prepared ng or chopping sheets of cast acrylic of the desired color and pattern. The sheets of acrylic may be prepared (as is well lznown in the trade) by casting acrylic syrup with appropriate atalysts and modifiers between gloss plates which ha e been separated by gaskets of de- Sl d thickness. A satisfactory formula fort'ne syrup is a follows:

Rouge 1 Typical and then when cost cutting or chopping it into granules or chips of convenient size and shape.

Tire acrylic chips are now mixed with a dry vinyl blend which may or me not contain pigment pow-oer. l! is themsubicctcd to pressure to about 1099 p.s.i. and heat at 350 in a hydraulic cross and this man he varied somel n'icthecrylste polymer granule.

distortion under heat and pressure may be varied by cross-linking agent present in the changing the ztrnou formula for t. e pr thermoset polymer. This distortien may he cons. to n limited degree as compressicn; primarily it con ts or a s.ig

modification of the COl'xllgllfIlllOll of the granule due to the host and pressure. While the methyl methacrylate is preferred since it has the highest heat distortion point and the optimum in properties for our work, any of the following acrylic polymers will serveto a lesser degree if they are rossl nked (in blends or used as sole ingredient). The methacrylatc esters are harder and esters of higher homologs range from very hard to amorphous waxy polymers. Cross-linking agents are vital in obtaining the partially thermosct character in the acrylic granule. They are nortelly used at concentrations of 25% to 19% of the monomer. Typical crosslinkers are:

Ethylcnc glycol dimett ecrylzte,

1.3 butylene glycol dint-cthacrylatc,

Other ditnethacrylates and diallylic compounds and I others.

crne softened to .3! their original lower temperature the acrylic granules will partially re zes is not liner: with respect to temperature. 'riol herein specilied there is no u -3 up to t At any point above this tempjeretuie the recovery will vary with the length of time the slab is kept at a en temperature; eg almost 100% recovery can be 01:- d at 250 F. in twenty ni' -tes.

A satisfactory formula for the dry vinyl blend is as follows:'

Polyvinyl chloride lOO Diozty. pntliulate 25 Epoxidized soya been all 5 Barium, cadmium, zinc organic stabilizer 3 133 Normally PVC is used. However, ccpolymers of PVC (incluiung acetate, ntelcaie, {um-crate, etc.) can be substituted in whole, or part.

In the accompany drawings:

FIG. 1 is a fra mentary plan View of cover material slowing a preferred embodiment thereof, and

FIG. 2 is a sectional view on the li 2-2 of FIG. 1 showing the surface contour of the m" l.

in FIG. .1 the components 01' the me ..21 are labeled. Thecolored acrylic chips may o med to he of a brilliant biue color, the translucent 2:? "c chips" are of a pearl shade, and the "transparent vi: matrix incli2ate the transparency of that component.

Suitable acr lic poi rncrs may he made up from :wnil' able as t'lic monomers, such as n r ethyl or outyi ncrylate; or methyl or ethyl or huiyl ll nacrylrtte, or the like.

The acrylic mat linlced during the uel p due to the presence of the c-cthermosef more pro" rly 62s t e cross-l nking of the p0lyn er to inni the t'..-rmo,. tv of the materiul. z rnonozner which is crized without a crosssermodoes not exhibit the race ties of the partia l cros.

Having thus disclosed my invention and described in detail as illustrative cnzhoc i tent thereof, 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. The process of making vinyl-3'25: covering sheet comprising the steps of preparing a dry blend of polyvinyl chloride;

preparing chips of methyl metltacryleIe resin, the resin being cast from a syrup having the following com- .ic floor or wall position:

Percent Benzoyl peroxide (catalyst) ODE-0.1 Cross-linking agent 0.25-10 l-t'lethecr'ylatc monomer Balance D and the cast resin being hereafter comminuicd to form chips; v mixing the dry blend and the chips, the dry blend being in such quantity that when :[used it forms a :riairlx for the chips; hearing and pressing IllC mixture of dry blend and chips at a temperature of approximately 350 F. and :1 ressnrc of a proximately 1090 pounds per square 'nch in a pressing means having a smooth surface "aich is prcssniecl .0 one side of the mixture, thereto form a smooth-sided s'nzct of fused vinyl resin :1 said chips embedded x'ncrein, the chips being armed by the pressing mean-s into :1 shape oih:

than .lieir original shapc; r'cmovin the fused shes-i from lhe pressing means led 10 below die sor'zcning tempera- :1 resin; and

hereafter the fused shsct 10 a temperature within the range of 199-259 P. 20 cause Ihc vinyl resin to soi'lcn to pcrniit i'ne chips 0 rccover at least partially their original s'za ss.

2. Th: process of claim 1 in which the mctbacrylatc is a meihyl mczhricrylatc, thc crosslinling agent is cihylcnc glycol 'dimcl' zcrlazc, and the mcihyl mcllmcrylare cast resin has the composition:

and the dry blend has. the composition:

Polyvinyl chloride Diocityl phthalnie 25 Epoxidizcd soya oil 5 Barium, cadmium, zinc organic stabilizer 3 Rci-zrences Ciicd by he En'nzninci- UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,194,859 7/1965 Wacker l5l-5 ALEXANDER WYMAN, Primary Examiner. JACOB SIYEINBERG, Examiner. 

1. THE PROCESS OF MAKING VINYL-ACRYLIC FLOOR OR WALL COVERING SHEET COMPRISING THE STEPS OF PREPARING A DRY BLEND OF POLYVINYL CHLORIDE; PREPARING CHIPS OF METHYL METHACRYLATE RESIN, THE RESIN BEING CAST FROM A SYRUP HAVING THE FOLLOWING COMPOSITION: PERCENT BENZOYL PEROXIDE (CATALYST) 0.02-0.1 CROSS-LINKING AGENT 0.25-10 METHACRYLATE MONOMER BALANCESP@ AND THE CAST RESIN BEING THEREAFTER COMMINUTED TO FORM CHIPS; MIXING THE DRY BLEND AND THE CHIPS, THE DRY BLEND BEING IN SUCH QUANTITY THAT WHEN FUSED IT FORMS A MATRIX FOR THE CHIPS; HEATING AND PRESSING THE MIXTURE OF DRY BLEND AND CHIPS AT A TEMPERATURE OF APPROXIMATELY 350*F. AND A PRESSURE OF APPROXIMATELY 1000 POUNDS PER SQUARE INCH IN A PRESSING MEANS HAVING A SMOOTH SURFACE WHICH IS PRESENTED TO ONE SIDE OF THE MIXTURE, THEREBY TO FORM A SMOOTH-SIDED SHEET OF FUSED VINYL RESIN WITH SAID CHIPS EMBEDDED THEREIN, THE CHIPS BEING DEFORMED BY THE PRESSING MEANS INTO A SHAPE OTHER THAN THEIR ORGINAL SHAPE; REMOVING THE FUSED SHEET FROM THE PRESSING MEANS AFTER IT HAS COOLED TO BELOW THE SOFTENING TEMPERATURE OF THE FUSED VINYL RESIN; AND THEREAFTER SUBJECTING THE FUSED SHEET TO A TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE RANGE OF 195*-250*F. TO CAUSE THE VINYL RESIN TO SOFTEN AND TO PERMIT THE CHIPS TO RECOVER AT LEAST PARTIALLY THEIR ORIGINAL SHAPES. 